Land Surface Temperature Anomalies as Indicators of Urban Land Cover Change—A Study of Two Indian Cities

Rapid urbanisation over the years has led to the loss of natural land cover, thereby affecting Land Surface Temperature (LST) distribution in urban areas. This study aims to analyse LST anomalies (calculated as the deviation from the normal) over selected Indian cities and check if critical land cover changes can be identified. LST from Landsat Thermal Infrared (TIR) images acquired in March, April and May from 1988 to 2020 were used to estimate LST anomalies. Positive LST anomalies were observed mainly over barren and impervious areas; however, some areas showed a negative anomaly where the barren lands were converted to vegetated areas. The study has demonstrated that while some developed areas exhibit a positive anomaly indicative of significant changes or development, there are instances where the conversion of barren land to developed (i.e. built up) areas has resulted in a negative anomaly. Developed areas that are closer to the water creek or mangroves were associated with lower anomaly values indicating the cooling effect of the water body and vegetation. Conversely, the core urban areas generally exhibited higher LST values with positive anomalies indicating a warming effect. These findings can be used by city planners to identify hotspot areas and develop more effective strategies and policies to address the challenges of urban heat. They also highlight the regions that require infrastructural resources and policy changes to reduce the temperature.